Audit of the Department of Parks and Recreation's Performance Metrics FY 2015 - FY 2017

From Honolulu Auditor, 29 May 2018

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Audit Abstract:  Beginning with the FY 2016 operating budget, city budget guidelines required city departments to develop meaningful performance metrics focused on programs which supported the mayor’s priorities.  The performance metrics were intended to help evaluate programs, help departments allocate resources to priority areas, and improve budgetary practices.  The objectives of this audit were to determine whether the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) met its performance metrics for FY 2015 – FY 2017 and to evaluate the effectiveness of the DPR process for establishing performance metrics.

We found that as of 2018, DPR did not achieve its performance metrics.  More specifically:

• DPR did not attain its goal for reducing potable water usage. Instead of saving $833,907, water costs increased by over $2.08 million because reducing water costs by using non-potable water sources was not a priority for DPR and the Board of Water Supply.

• DPR did not achieve its three performance metrics related to filling job position vacancies. The department filled only 22 (76%) of the 29 positions requested in FY 2017 although vacancies in critical positions existed in park maintenance. DPR used personal services contracts and alternative methods to fill its vacancies, to expedite the hiring process, to properly maintain parks, to make necessary repairs, and to fulfill the mayor’s priority of re-establishing pride in city parks because the Human Resources process was too slow and took too long.  In FY 2015 and FY 2016, the department used personal services contracts to fill 64 temporary, unbudgeted position requests at a cost of $1.5 million, which was nearly 22% of the city’s original cost savings of $7.1 million from an initiative to deactivate positions starting in FY 2015.

• Other performance metrics were not achieved.

  • Although plans were due in FY 2016, DPR still does not have medium and long-range plans for department operations.

  • The department’s performance metric to establish a new registration and point-of-sale system for class registration and facilities use by January 2018 was not achieved. DPR estimated that the project was only 20%-30% complete.

  • DPR’s metric to complete its new street and park tree inventory and a new work order program were not achieved.

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CB: Audit: Honolulu Parks Could Save Millions By Reducing Potable Water Use